yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Valynor:
A phone camera is not a DSLR and doesn't have the capabilities to judge exposure like a DSLR does and even those expose wrong on quite a few occasions.

The picture the OP posted appears to have been taken in broad daylight and a clear blue sky is EXTREMELY bright, even though our eyes might not notice this as much. That's what's exposure compensation is for. :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
I don't believe it. I don't think the EXIF is reporting it accurately. It's not the fast shutter that's causing image degradation -- that's definitely noise. Noise is produced at high sensitivities. Simply using too fast of a shutter speed will only underexpose the image (which, granted, if lightened, will then also display high levels of noise, but only after lightening).

I'm fairly certain they've made the default ISO quite high, no matter what the lighting conditions, just to ensure the "zero-shutter-lag" experience. I also wish that this was configurable, but again, as a cell phone camera with an extremely small sensor and lens, I find the results pretty good.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] TheBiles:
Actually, a shutter speed of 1/3000 is normal for a bright sunny day.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nupicasso:
Absolutely wrong¡

Even Annie Lebowitz has commented on using phones for photography(the iPhone 4s). Phones are being used more and more for photography. One photographer has even published a book of photos taken only on his iPhone. So don't make ignorant comments while trying to make a point. Research first.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dinan:
Yeah it just looks like the phone metered on the sky. It's hard to tell with only 1 photo example... even an SLR will meter/focus on wrong place sometimes, just have to take another shot. (Except with an SLR you have the luxury of knowing which point it focus/metered on)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] mjohnk11:
Well you can press on the screen and have it focus at that point, that should be the point that it meters at too right? (Sorry don't know too much about the camera software and how it measures exposure)

Any chance we can have the op tray and take the same pic except focused on something less bright like maybe the grass near the house??
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dave_watson:
You honestly can't compare any mobile phones camera to a DSLR. They are great for point and shoot but that's it. Any self respecting photographer should know that.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
Well it shouldn't be normal because it makes the pics look....well, disgusting.

That's too fast of a shutter for a cell phone camera.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
This. A lot of photographers do the whole "phone camera shots" thing either for the creative aspect, or to see how much quality they can get out of it, but no photographer is ever going to trade in their DSLR for a cell phone.

Again, it's not the shutter speed, it's the sensitivity. If it's getting enough light that 1/3000" is enough, the picture will look fine. If your sensitivity is too high, you're going to introduce noise.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rudolphe:
Being a "camera-phone" isn't justification for having a crappy camera.

The old iPhone 4 (same resolution) takes better shots.

My Droid X took better shots.

My Droid Charge took better shots.

While a good camera will of course smoke all three of those, comparing this device to other camera's in the same category (camera phones) it sucks, like really sucks.

I shouldn't have to deal with crappy pictures just because it's a camera attached to the phone, I'm sure it's not the camera sensor itself and is probably a software issue they need to resolve.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] mjohnk11:
Right, but the aperture has to be figured in there too. I couldn't find any specs on it, but I'm guessing that it really isn't all that adjustable. So having a fast shutter speed and still having a decently balanced photo means cranking up the ISO. The image sensor isn't nearly as big or as sensitive as a DSLR so i can't see how the shutter speed can be so fast without a high ISO reading.

---------- Post added at 03:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:17 PM ----------

I had a droid x and I can say that the camera on the GNex is much, much better. I can't speak for the other two, though. I don't have too many problems with the camera, overall I think it's decent and I love how quick it is. My only question and what I'm trying to figure out is if there's any way to adjust the default software settings where we can control ISO and all that.

Also has anyone noticed that when you take a picture, the preview of the picture is much brighter than what it is in the gallery?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rudolphe:
That's because the camera app jacks up the brightness.

edit: jacks up as in increases, I think to 100% not to sure...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] playbeasy:
This is the issue that drives me crazy. I take the picture and it looks awesome, then I hit the gallery and...wait wut? :-(
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] TheBiles:
You realize that more factors go into a photo that just shutter speed, right? You have aperture, ISO, and the general crappiness of the sensor affecting the quality and exposure of the image.

It's a damn camera phone. It takes camera phone type photos. Get a damn real camera if you want better quality or shut up.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] sishgupta:
Lots of people here shouting things when they don't really understand.

Short shutter speeds do NOT increase noise.

Factors that increase digital image noise (NOT dust):

Long shutter speeds (exposures)

High ISO (sensor sensitivity)

Small or low quality sensor (like in a camera phone)

Bad processing

There may be other factors but these are the main ones.

The only one we can't fix is the sensor. Everything else we should be able to modify with software.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] willisj318:
I dont know. I'm pretty happy with the camera overall, even in low light with the controls it takes decent pictures for me.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
Oh look, more excuses.

Sounds like you're mad that the nexus camera sucks. Perhaps even more mad than I am.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dulaney22:
As others have said, 1/3000 is quite proper on a sunny day. You manually dial up 1/600 and you'll have a white hot picture. Do you really think the micro sensor in your phone will compete with a full frame or crop camera?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rudolphe:
Thanks for the laughs, but I totally agree. "Go buy a camera" isn't a valid argument when there are plenty of "lesser" phones that have more powerful cameras.

I could see if ALL/MOST camera phones sucked, but they do not. So that argument really is invalid.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] RickROM:
Photo looks fine to me. Don't expect much from a camera in a phone anyway.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
Exactly....
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] z06mike:
So which camera phones don't suck??
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
All the galaxy s2 phones, iphone 4s.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
The iPhone 4 and 4S. :P

But even they're no match for even a decent point and shoot.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jameslfc5:
It looks good to me, try holding the capture button whilst it focuses, or get another camera app off the market
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Spewy1:
Most of the recent SE xperia phones! (even if the phones themselves suck)

Also most high end Nokia's have way better cameras.

The camera on the Nexus is below par for a device of this price and in this day and age.

Samsung/ Google - PLEASE upgrade the camera firmware as a priority!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] TheBiles:
I'm mad that people are making such a big deal over it. I've always got a Canon S100 in my other pocket for when I actually want to take a quick photograph, and when I know that I'm going to be taking photos I bring my 7D. It makes me facepalm so much that everyone is making such a big deal about the camera on a phone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] theshakyone:
That lawn looks like it could do with some water....it's starting to look at bit peaky.....
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] elfarto:
Does anyone know other Camera Apps on the market that work with GN ?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Valynor:
HDR Camera+ does work fine on mine. Obviously this App makes HDR pictures, so this is not for snapshots.

-> https://market.android.com/details?id=com.almalence.hdr_plus&feature=search_result

-> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] P500:
For god's sake, buy the GSII or the iPhone 4/4S, and sell your GN to a person, who appreciates the product and has informed himself before buying it.

What do you want here? Just whining about the camera isn't going to fix it.

And, yes, I like the pictures the camera takes, and everyone with a tiny experience in picture editing is able to produce nice looking ones, with the background of using a mobilephone (!) camera.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
The camera in the GN is weak. Biggest problems I notice are gain noise and then a whole bunch of software image softening/filtering to attempt to remove it. It doesn't deliver resolution anywhere near 5MP. My 2MP Nikon Coolpix 950 from 1999 destroys this 12 year newer, 2 1/2 higher pixel spec'd phone.

The last bit is for the people saying we shouldn't be expecting DSLR quality. I agree. But 12 years, 2 1/2 the claimed resolution? Should surely be able to meet that bar!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chirea.mircea:
Jesus. The camera app in the GN is supposed to have zero shutter lag; it does almost no processing, that it why the photos look so raw. Even dumb auto-fix features found in many photo editing programs will give you a good enough image.

THAT is why the image looks so grainy, the camera is designed for the real purpose of a camera on a phone - taking quick snaps. If you want excellent photos look elsewhere.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] marlonbr:
I have a SGS2 in my pocket. I've taken dosen of opportunity pictures with it of my wife and daughter. I love the camera.

So everything was awesome until I bought this Galaxy Nexus with a ****ed up camera and can't believe the difference. This 4.65 HD screen is wonderful but having a powerful camera on my pocket has a huge impact on my family's life.

Meanwhile my Sony HX1 semi-pro camera is taking dust waiting for the birthdays parties it loves.

I will sell this phone.

BUT, if in the meantime someone gets to tinker on the camera, I wouldn't. It really seems to be ****ed up by software.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] predation:
How does this look?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phiquantu:
Agree!!!

This phone's camera is a piece of ****. It's not any better than my old Droid 1.

I guess this is what happened when Samsung gotta share its profit with Google; they just have to cut cost somewhere to maintain the profit.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Valynor:
This looks like someone made it who knows how to make a good picture regardless of the device.

Nice bokeh.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ptfdmedic:
It would be nice if they added some options to the camera to bump it up a bit. I love widescreen pictures for my blog but its not an option.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Looks like you've gotten a solid 0.3MP out of the camera. :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] predation:
Yesss! (Napoleon dynamite). LOL
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jayharper08:
Im going to let this thread continue, but I think I know how it's going to play out. Consider this a warning for this thread. If you start the name calling and going at each others throats, there will be a price to pay.

Sent from the CM powered Kindle Fire
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] marlonbr:
I made a test. I took 2 images samples, one from the SGS2 and other from the GNexus and both with 3 megapixels. The sgs2 one is 1.1MB and the gnexus is 780KB.

The color balance on the GNexus seems BETTER then the SGS2, but the overall image quality is much worse. I think the problem is the level of jpeg compression.

SGS2 Cut

GNexus Cut

SGS2 Original

GNexus Original

On real life situations the SGS2 takes amazing pictures like this one I took yesterday from my University. I'm sure I would be pissed of with the results from the GNexus on the same situation.

Please post your opinions on this.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Valynor:
Tons of noise in the dark parts, too. :)

I agree with your opinion on the GN JPEG compression. It's too aggressive, I hope they will fix this in an update. Or give us choices.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jpasint:
If in fact the shutter was truly 1/3000th of a second then the only reason I could think of would be to counter camera shake blur.

IMO 1/3000th of a second is by far a normal shutter speed even for bright daylight scenes unless you are trying to stop action or are pointing your camera at the sun (not recommended).

If you need 1/3000th of a second shutter speed in daylight then the ISO is turned way up for sports/action shots or you simply don’t know what you are doing.

Anyways, I doubt the EXIF info is accurate cause at ISO 50 you would need a nuclear explosion to make enough light to capture a decent photo with the small and relatively low light gathering capability of our Nexus camera. Plus, noise (I'm not sure that that is noise) that is seen in the photo points to a much higher ISO than 50.

But the in the end, the Nexus camera is barely close compared to my GS2. Why? I don’t know but it should be much better.

My semi professional opinion.

Joe
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] peachananr:
I got a pretty decent quality with the help of third party apps like HDR Camera + and Camera360. You can try those apps and see if the quality improves.

Here are some of my photos:

https://plus.google.com/photos/107122979431309546972/albums/posts/5693015626027762658

https://plus.google.com/photos/107122979431309546972/albums/posts/5693015299141628354

https://plus.google.com/photos/107122979431309546972/albums/posts/5692193474683955010

https://plus.google.com/photos/107122979431309546972/albums/posts/5694104579683830834

https://plus.google.com/photos/107122979431309546972/albums/posts/5691208697462988402
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ChongoDroid:
I'm reading this thread and shaking my head. The OP takes a low contrast picture and complains about contrast... lol take a picture of a zebra and see if thats contrasted enough for you.

I've only used my GNEX camera for some cool macros and comparing those to my SGS2 they look exactly the same IMO. The majority of the shots come across sharper in low light then the SGS2 did.

I take/edit pictures for a living and that is my opinion. :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] case0:
Posting in a pointless, stupid thread.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ptfdmedic:
Please post the camera.apk you are referring to. I would like to look at it. Please :-)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] g0del:
There are so many misconceptions about cameras in this thread. The shutter speed wasn't 1/3000 to eliminate blur (I doubt you'd need higher than 1/60 to eliminate blur in that shot). And there's no reason to doubt the exif info. It almost definitely is ISO 50.

The picture in the OP was taken on a clear, sunny day. That means the sunny f/16 rule applies, so the correct exposure at f/16 and ISO 50 would be 1/50 shutter speed. Of course, camera phones don't have f/16 apertures, they usually have a fixed aperture in the f/2 - f/2.8 range. The proper shutter speed for f/2.8 would be 1/1600, and the speed for f/2 would be 1/3200, so 1/3000 for the picture in the OP is reasonable.

As for the slight underexposure, it's a picture of a light-cream house, a light-gray driveway, and light-brown dirt. Auto-exposure meters for a medium gray, so lighter subjects will fool the system into slightly under-exposing the picture (and dark subjects will fool the camera into over-exposing).

There are plenty of problems with the picture. It's extremely grainy, which it shouldn't be for a daylit picture, and the fine detail is almost completely smeared away (just look at the tree leaves in the background). Whether that's caused by a poor sensor, a poor lens, or bad camera software I don't know. I never expect much quality out of a tiny little sensor and a lens with a focal length of only a few mm.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ajftl:
and HTC amaze. Better than any gs2
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] klobkelosh:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=11918096

There's a few versions in the thread. Look for the newer one posted by MongooseHelix.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] derrelicte:
Yeah -- she praised the 4S as a snapshot camera, as it's the perfect tool that you'd always have on you, but let's see when she posts a spread in Vanity Fair using only her 4S. Also, Leibovitz' style of photography lends itself to being more forgiving on the camera side, considering the tens of thousands of dollars spent on studio lighting she has.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jhuynh:
Does anyone else have a yellow tint when using the flash? My Asian friends end up looking really really yellow. Like not natural at all. I will post an example when I can.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] zapek666:
I have both the GS2 and GN and there's not much difference in image quality. The GN has zero shutter lag but that can backfire if you don't let the phone take its time to focus. The GS2 has more megapixels but that's not very important. The sensor sensitivity seems to be more or less the same too.

Also don't forget to use and abuse scene mode. For example if there's low light, chose "low light" and so on. The result gets much better.

Like any camera (and especially professional ones), learn how to use it and experiment a lot.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] twilightrevenant:
I had the 4S as well. It is better, but still a phone camera. It is no where close to a real camera. If you want to use phone photos, expect extensive post-processing no matter which phone you have.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] fambot:
jhuynh,

I was using p3droid's 4.03 and my shots were coming out much more yellow than normal....went to a th3ory rom (axiom) and it fixed all my issues...so try a different rom?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jhuynh:
Thanks, I'm actually just running stock right now and wanted to know if anyone else is getting the yellow tint pics with flash on the stock ROM. I have a feeling it's just the white balance choosing the wrong setting or something. I wonder if they did something to the camera app on the ROM you are using to fix it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ianwood:
I've noticed the GN is more susceptible to a bad white balance than some other phone cameras. I am often pulling images into Photoshop to simply re-white balance them.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] fambot:
I had some camera app crashes too with those yellow'd white balance issues on his rom...could have been an unclean install (didnt wipe everything) so he may not be to blame...but no issues on the axiom roms if it helps. As soon as I get my 8 posts Ill post a ton of photos ;-)

---------- Post added at 08:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:56 PM ----------

Hopefully some of these photos I took will dispel some of the sadness with the capabilities of the nexus camera...it is capable and is fine for a phone...as long as your shrinking to 1024 pixels or so for facebook they will look great...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] z06mike:
VERY nice pics fambot! As I have tried to show some people here, the Nexus is actually a pretty good camera and this is evidence of that.

Blowing up a picture to very large sizes will bring all of the defects out, and virtually ANY camera. (Unless of course, you are a professional)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] derrelicte:
Thanks for this. These photos look great. With just a little knowledgeable post-processing in Photoshop or Lightroom, these photos could look downright stunning.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] fambot:
thanks cant wait to see how well the video will do on an autocross course in the spring, but the camera is fine for the trained folks that know how to use it...everything else on android is a bit nerdy...why cant the camera app be too (should have more controls) but its fine...My wife has a 4S and honestly other than 8mp vs 5mp...its about the same (apple likes to over saturate but thats software...no hardware)

PS click the top of the dogs head photo...the detail on the hair is pretty damn good for a phone.

Also, didnt do any PP on these photos. I like to use pic say pro and hdr camera but didnt want to confuse anyone with edited pics.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] juniorbattle:
Did you clean the lens before taking that picture? I'm getting much better results with a clean lens

Edit: referring to OP's picture
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Shouldn't have much of an effect, really.

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/06/16/how-dust-and-damage-on-lenses-affect-image-quality/
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Well that's the trick isn't it? It might be a 5MP sensor but you don't get 5MP images out of it. This really shows that megapixels = nonsense.

Being a pro has nothing to do with defects your equipment introduces. Pros are just generally better at not introducing their own defects (or they may do so intentionally for an effect). Pros do tend to use higher quality equipment which introduces fewer defects.

I just did some brief testing with a resolution chart and I'm getting about 1400x1200 resolution images out of the camera. This pretty close to agreeing with fambot's 1024 suggestion.

Based on my findings we really have a 1.7MP camera in the phone.

You can find the chart at the following link but be careful - using it is not straightforward. If you print it you'll probably run into the limits of your printer very quickly. Depending on your printer you may have to scale it up 2-5x to get a reasonable resolution print out if it.

http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~westin/misc/res-chart.html

Enjoy. :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] NIK516:
I think what every one is failing to understand is that the op is not complaining about the camera hardware but more the software and the settings that it is automatically picking.

I like him would like to see more manual settings like ISO , metering things like this. Same as what the gs2 had.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
This. I don't like that it picked 1/3000 speed because it made a picture look extremely dark on a bright sunny day.

Something around 1/800 would have given much better results. And the thing is ...the camera is inconsistent. I can get a beautiful picture in the same setting, but then I also get some like the one in the op.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] GinoSylum:
Let me start by saying i love this phone, its not going back.. its the best phone i have ever owned.. BUT it does have a weak point, the camera.. We don't have to make excuses for it, its not great. Other high end phones at the level of the nexus (and some below it) have better cameras. So saying its just a phone isn't really making your point... I don't think its hardware however. Other phones have 5 mega pixel cams and take better shots.

All that being said, i can live with it. I have taken GREAT shots with it that i am happy with, and other pictures come out like crap. There are tricks that have been talked about (holding your finger on the shutter and giving it time to focus, bla bla bla) or just using other camera apps.

Lets be honest, its not a high end camera on such a high end phone. I HOPE they improve the software to get as much out of the 5mp that they can. AND IF THEY DON'T BY GUM, i really won't do anything, i like the phone :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] koolbon:
I would try myself if I had the phone... why don't you try taking the same picture frame, but put the focus on the roof... a little darker spot than , let's say, the average of the whole scene. I did notice that images from GN are a little flat by bringing out more details from shadow, but lose contrast and bring out noise more.

I think it's all in software, not the camera itself.

---------- Post added at 05:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:56 PM ----------

Do you know what's the lowest ISO of the camera?

In auto mode cameras tend to pick higher ISO to ensure the faster shutter speed to eliminate any possible shakes. Maybe 50 wasn't the lowest ISO cause I see some noise. Your picture would probably be fine at about 1/1500 with everything else the same. I think you would blow out a lot highlight area at 1/800.

Again, I am not quite sure what/how it is doing, but GN does seem to process images differently than other phone cameras. Well, try not to focus on something much brighter or darker than the whole scene... that might help.